Archive for the 'Neftali Feliz' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

Can you name the four Opening Day closers for the American League West?

Hint: There's no Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson to be found here.

Right now, the AL West closers would be Fernando Rodney (Angels), Brandon League (Mariners), Alexi Ogando (Rangers) ... and Brian Fuentes (Athletics).

Oakland's Andrew Bailey, the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year, went down Monday, doubling over in pain during a game because of elbow pain and forearm stiffness. He's headed to Alabama to see Dr. Andrews, and Fuentes, who saved 71 games over two years with the Angels, is the most likely candidate to replace him.

Perhaps the biggest decision in the entire A.L. West is whether to move Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz from the bullpen to the starting rotation in Texas.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram looks at the positives and negatives. The biggest negative, apparently, is whether anyone can pitch the ninth inning as well as Feliz did.

Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux says you'd rather have Feliz pitching 200 innings than 70. Of course, it's doubtful he'll be able to pitch those 200 as well as he pitched those 70, but the Rangers gained confidence from the fact that C.J. Wilson did so last season.

More on the Angels: [rssfeedme cat="fromthedugout" feedpath="/category/angels/feed/" max="6"]

The Angels have sort of oozed their way into the first one-eighth of the season but no one else in the American League West has taken off either.

In Texas the mood is a little more agitated because the bullpen has been a disaster, and now even Neftali Feliz, the 100 mph golden child is getting rocked, as noted by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Vladimir Guerrero's average in Arlington is .513, by the way. Hitting fourth.